 The signal oil program The whistler at whistle is your signal for the signal oil program the whistler I'm the whistler and I know many things for I walk by night I know many strange tales hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows Yes, I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak Yes friends, it's time for the signal oil program the whistler Rated by independent research the most popular West Coast program In gasoline, you know it takes extra quality to go farther and Signal is the famous go farther gasoline So look for the signal circle sign in yellow and black that identifies signal service station from Canada to Mexico And now the whistler strange story Backfire Just a moment before the music of the little tango orchestra had seen pure magic to him As they sat at their special table in the soft enchanting gloom of the club Madrid Now it was discordant a cacophony of meaningless noise and maddening pounding rhythms in the club The dancers the slim vocalists with the Moroccans only heightened the despondency that settled on him like a cloud And the thing that had worked to change that had transformed magic into misery in a split second Was the thing that Amy had said tossed across the table to him as if it had been a comment on the weather I'm sorry, Carl. I don't love you. I never did Amy. What are you saying? Really darling? It isn't anything to look so serious about you must have known that we couldn't go on like this forever Amy Amy, we can't just throw it all away. You've got to understand What's away Carl there? You're being awfully naive. Don't you think Amy? I love you. Was that naive is that stupid? Well, it doesn't make very good sense here. We've had three months three wonderful exciting months Arnold's coming home tomorrow and that is that You know how he'd explode if he ever found out. No When did you hear from him? He was in San Francisco this morning. She was just a little bit worried about him. Why? We've been discreet enough. You know, it's a little strange how a man can be so brilliant and so blind all at once You almost look as if you delight in telling Arnold that yes I'm afraid I can't afford to Naturally You know, I think Arnold might resent it a little if he knew his wife had become Romantically interested in her chauffeur That puts me in my place quite nicely Amy. It was meant to darling I suppose you run and get the car. I want to talk to the orchestra leader for a minute Well What are you waiting for? Course, Mrs. Pearson right away. Of course, Mrs. Pearson right away You're back in your place now aren't you Carl? Yes, Mrs. Pearson, of course, Mrs. Pearson right away, ma'am Just like it was when you first came to the Pearson house over a year ago Long before the thrilling unbelievable discovery that Amy was interested in you as You walked dumbly out of the nightclub your mind goes back to the day Arnold Pearson hired you I have an idea. You'll work out quite nicely. I understand your an excellent driver and Mechanically inclined that's right. Mr. Pearson not so much on my account. It's mainly because of Mrs. Pearson I see she's a very impetuous woman inclined to be reckless She had two accidents now on the narrow escapes. I feel much safer with a chauffeur for her, of course Mrs. Pearson becomes upset very easily Emotionally rather unstable When she's troubled she has a strange habit of taking the car out and driving like the wind. I am afraid I don't understand Well, neither do I frankly somehow it seems to cool it down quieter nerves I hope that with you here a chauffeur you'll have to find some less dangerous antidote for these Explosions first. Oh, I know I can help sir. Good. Then it's settled Carl I'm going to hire you as far as I'm concerned a prison record means absolutely nothing if a man is really willing to profit by his mistakes You'll have every chance to make good. Thank you, sir Yes, Carl you're back in your place Right where you were the day Arnold hired you fresh out of state prison And he hadn't thought of you since Do Arnold you were a piece of equipment like a lawnmower or washing machine Not a human being who might want something else from the world something with pride and dignity You hated him didn't you Carl him and his righteousness And when Amy became interested in you you wanted to scream in his face that if he didn't think you were somebody His wife did But that's all over now The evenings at the club Madrid with Amy are part of the past She's uh, Mrs. Pearson again, and you're back in your place is chauffeur You're a little uneasy when Arnold called you into a study on the night of his return. I Don't quite know how to begin Carl Something rather unpleasant has been called to my attention Indeed sir first. However, I think I ought to tell you that I've advised my lawyers about you Carl You'll never want for anything even if something should happen to me. Why? Why that's very kind of you sir. I had no idea why I'm happy to do it Carl All I ask in return is Your confidence It's about Mrs. Pearson. Mrs. Pearson as you know Carl. I'm quite well known Well, the fact of the matter is a chap from the firm spoke to me about Amy this afternoon He implied she'd been seen on a number of occasions in the company of a strange man. Oh well It's probably only gossip sir. I'm sure I hope it is just gossip Sort of upset me that's all coming home to a lot of ugly rumors about my wife and an orchestra leader an orchestra leader Yes, I believe he's working at the club Madrid That stopped you didn't it Carl? Oh There was only one reason for all those evenings with Amy at the club Madrid Terry Larkin the orchestra You were stupid not to have seen it from the first You're rating inside as you walk downstairs to the library Amy is still they are curled up by the fireplace with a book They just talk to your husband Seems there are rumors floating around about us. No, no not about us Don't understand Those baby blue eyes Those beautiful innocent baby blue eyes your cheap heartless little trap wait a minute shut up And tell me this Amy Who's it gonna be after Terry Larkin carl kind of a hobby of yours, isn't it making a fool out of every guy you meet? I ought to do Larkin a favor. I ought to go to him right now and give him a tip off Tell him he's due for the high dive in a couple of weeks. You're not gonna go anywhere. Do you understand? No You're not going to do anything. You want to know why? Because you're involved as much as I am because I can talk to Because if it came right down to it, I'd sound a lot more convincing to Arnold and the parole board and everybody else What about Terry luck? I'll see anybody. I want any time I want you know where that'll get you I'll decide that Now if you don't mind I'm going off for a drive wait a minute You know what Arnold said skippets when I want a chauffeur I'll ring for one With the prologue of backfire the signal oil company brings you another strange tale by the whistler But now may I have a word with you regular friends of the whistler as you know It's your loyalty that has made this the most popular West Coast program Yet if you had never tuned us in in the first place You wouldn't know whether you're like the whistler or not. Would you? Well, it occurred to me that in much the same way many of you haven't discovered how much pleasure signal gasoline can add to your driving Because you just haven't gotten around yet to trying signal gasoline Of course, if you've lived out West any length of time at all, you know signal is famous as the go farther gasoline And you've no doubt heard me explain many times the reason for signals good mileage The extra efficiency today's signal gasoline gets from your motor. It's quicker starting. It's faster pickup It's quieter higher anti-knock Now doesn't that all add up to the kind of gasoline you want for your car? Okay, then I'd like to ask a favor of you How about trying a few fillings of signal gasoline starting with your next tank full? Let your own car prove to you why signal says in gasoline It takes extra quality to go farther And now back to the whistler well Carl It's a thin line that divides love from hatred isn't it? There's a blind driving hate inside you fighting for expression every minute of the time you're with Amy Chained to that steering wheel driving her to secret appointments with Terry Hearing her say the same things to him. She used to say to you Listening to her lie to Arnold about where she's been Realizing you're helpless that you can't say anything It's on your mind all the time as you lie in bed staring at the ceiling unable to sleep during the day She go about your duties You know now that some time and in some way you're going to kill her It comes to you quite unexpectedly one afternoon while you're having the family car lubricated Watching the attendant finish up Well, there she is call. I don't think you find a squeak in an hour. Oh, yes, and by the way, yeah Keep an eye on that spidometer, huh? According to our records you ran over a little this time. You mean you keep a record here. Yeah, sure and all our customers Mileage record only takes a minute to put it down. You know comes in handy sometimes. Yeah. Yeah, sure Thanks, Joe. I'll keep an eye on that speedometer And that's all it took Carl a chance remarked by the station attendant Keep an eye on that spidometer. He said and that's what you're doing It's five miles to the Pearson home from the station exactly five miles And as the little figures on the spidometer drop into place parts of a plan start falling into place in your mind Amy and Arnold are at home Martha the housekeeper took part of the afternoon off and went to a movie By the time you arrive at the house you've decided to take the chance Arnold is alone in this study. You hate to disturb him But you think there's something that he ought to know about Terry Larkin Carl are you positive about this? Absolutely certain? Yes, sir. I am. I'm terribly sorry, sir And I wouldn't have mentioned it, but it seems so upset when you heard about it the other time. I know I know it It's all right Carl. You're simply doing your duty Where is Mrs. Pearson now? I think she's in the drawing room. Thank you very much You've been loyal. Thank you, sir Well Carl, it's underway now and as you stand alone in the study and listen You realize how right Amy was when she said Arnold would explode if he knew the truth about it You never heard anything like this quarrel. It's more than you'd hope for And best of all Carl you aren't worried about what Amy might say about you What she says won't matter. It's what she does that concerns you now All that matters is that she behaves you expect her to and she does exactly The moment the quarrel is over she rushes out of the house and hurries across the lawn to the garage for another wild ride You have the car all turned around keys and the ignition ready for her At the moment that she's sending the big car rolling down the driveway You're reaching an address a drawer for her small 22 caliber pistol and a minute later You're walking quietly to Arnold study for the most important step of all. Oh, it's you Carl Yeah, she she left in the car didn't she I was hoping you wouldn't let her do that Mrs. Pearson does pretty much as she chooses. I'll wait a minute. I don't leave you mr. Pearson with me too That's quite enough Carl. You'll do well to let the matter drop right here. Forget all about it I'll attend to my affairs in my car Carl, what are you doing with that pistol? You don't feel like such a big shot now? Do you kind of brings you down to size doesn't it wait a minute? I've waited long enough put down that gun Carl have you gone crazy? He doesn't look so big or successful or patronizing now does he and he didn't realize until too late But he made a fatal mistake when he put you in his will Now you'll not only get back at Amy, but what did I know say? You'll never want for anything as long as you live You carefully wipe the fingerprints from Amy's pistol and hide it in her bedroom Where you know it will be found and then you hurry back to your quarters over the garage. Yes Carl Amy did just as you expected and part of the gamble is won now the whole plan hinges on time It's quiet now Nothing but the tick of the clock on your dresser as you sit there waiting for Amy to return five minutes ten twenty a half hour and still no sound of the car Then you hear the squeal of tires as Amy swings into the driveway and you know you've won She pulls the car into the garage The door slams and you hear Amy's quick footsteps receding up the drive toward the house In a half-minute you're into the garage and those swift sure fingers of yours are setting the speedometer back to the mileage reading It showed when you brought the car back from the service station this afternoon Yes, that's the heart of the plan isn't it Carl? It begins to add up now those little black figures on the speedometer plus the mileage record at the service station Will give the police one unmistakable deadly fact That regardless of what Amy says about driving alone on the highway at the time of her husband's murder This pedometer will show that the car had not been taken from the garage More waiting now Carl more pacing back and forth in your little room over the garage Expecting any minute to hear the screen that's sure to come when Amy discovers her husband's body, but it doesn't come there's no sound from the house You wonder then begin to be afraid and then decide Amy simply hasn't gone into the study Finally at long last you see Martha coming around the corner from the bus stop back from the matinee you brace yourself It'll only be a moment now What's the matter? Oh Carl Carl, it's terrible here sit down. What's the matter? Oh, I can't I can't believe it that awful awful get a hold of yourself Martha. What are you talking about? Mr. Pearson's dad. She killed him. Oh, I knew what had happened sooner or later that this is temple of hers Oh, she's a devil. Where is he in his study on the floor? Mrs. Pearson's in her room. I don't think she heard me. She's packing packing her thing. I can't believe it Carl he's got to do something. I won't go back into that house. I'm afraid of her Oh, I should have warned him. I knew it and happen. I knew it Yeah, just a minute Martha operator operator give me the police hurry It's working even better than you planned isn't it Carl Martha discovering Arnold and best of all Amy caught in the act of packing to go away She must have decided to do that during her while drive Realized it was all over with Arnold that this quarrel was the last one But who'll believe that story Carl? It's so fantastic. You can hardly believe it yourself As the police car slides into the drive the two of you run out to meet it and you wisely decide to let Martha do most of the Talking Inspector in her room cold bloodedly packing to go away She was there when I came in and found Mr. Pearson Carl had come home just before I did it. I correct. Yes, sir I had taken the car to be lubricated of course soon as Martha told me I called headquarters. I see He doesn't know either of you two are here. I went in the back door, sir I'm sure she didn't hear me. You know, she's packing her door was partly open as I sneak down the hall past her room I found Mr. Pearson. Why didn't you tell her about it? I was afraid she'd turn on me, sir Oh, she's a devil that one the quarrels I've seen inspector the way she'd cut it poor mr. Pearson with that vicious tongue of hers It's a wonder it didn't happen long ago So she bustles around in her room taking her time with her husband dead in the study That seemed right to you Carl. Why? Why it does seem odd inspector putting it mildly Mike Take four men and cover the exits at the house. Stay here yourself till the coroner arrives, right? Come on you two. Let's go up to the house Really let him have it Terrible poor mr. Pearson. Hard to believe that she would do it. That's what I was thinking Those shots were fired from a small caliber gun Mrs. Pearson own one. Yes. She has the 22 Well, let's go up and see her Few questions I want to ask you Mrs. Pearson All right officer You've been a little foolish, don't you think I I have a right to do as I please in my own house That's a rather interesting attitude at the moment Well, I think you might explain what this is all about why there are officers all over this place I was about to ask you to do some explaining. I Haven't a thing to say I say Martha yes, you say you were out of the house at a movie all afternoon Yes, sir. I just got off the bus a half hour ago and walked up to the house Then I ran out to Carl's rooms over the car. All right, Martha And you call yes, sir. I have been having the car lubricated I just got back a few minutes before Martha then you were out with the car almost all afternoon. Yes, sir That's that's right. Oh, I'd be careful about what I said if I were you Mrs. Pearson Cobb What did you say? I said I was out with the car all afternoon. I had it greased and brought it straight home Nothing wrong with that. Is there a mrs. Pearson? Well, I Don't know what inspector There's any question you can check the mileage on this pedometer. They keep a record at the station. That's an idea Now mrs. Pearson It Of course, yes Yes, of course Carl's telling the truth He was out in the car I've been here all afternoon The whistler will return in just a moment with the strange ending of tonight's story Meantime here are some facts. I think you'll be interested in You know, of course the vital role that independent businessmen played in the building of America And you know that today more and more men are expressing a desire to get into business for themselves But did you know that our sponsor signal oil company has for over 15 years sold its products only through independent businessmen? Substantial responsible men who are so earnest about their business of serving the motoring public that they're willing to invest their own money in it Naturally signal dealers are carefully chosen for their ability in integrity Which explains why so many dealers have been with signal oil company ever since the beginning 15 years ago No wonder you find more conscientious experienced men operating signal stations and No wonder signal dealers with an incentive to build their own business Naturally give your car more thorough service that does help it run better and last longer Now back to the whistler Well Carl that stopped you didn't it There were so many elements in the plan you couldn't calculate things you had to gamble on and win Yet here in the final moment when you expect Amy to explode in a rage to accuse you of lying and To finally go down to defeat before the cold accurate figures on the speedometer She calmly tells the inspector that it's all true That you and not she were in the car So it wasn't necessary all the careful planning the manipulation of the speedometer to destroy your alibi The mileage record the contrived quarrel all of it was useless and you stand there bewildered waiting for the inspector to speak Well, Mrs. Pearson, I hardly expected it to be that simple You understand of course that you're under arrest for suspicion of murder murder What are you talking about your husband? I don't What do you mean murder? He's still right where you left him Mrs. Pearson on the floor of his study I don't know anything about your own admission you and he were alone here in the house at the time of the killing That's good enough for me And I think it'll be good enough for the jury So it finally worked Carl and you can let down a little now It was hard to believe of course the way Amy talked herself right into the trap But she said it and it's on the record and you try to tell yourself you could never understand her anyway You try to relax alone in your room But deep inside there's a strange feeling that something's wrong that it isn't over yet An hour later. You're startled by a knock at your door. Oh inspector Carl Where is she down at headquarters Carl You probably realize that we know about your prison record. Yeah, yeah, of course What's that got to do? I got a phone call a few minutes ago Knock me off my pins. I don't know what you mean Carl You're sure you were in that car this afternoon. Oh now. I told you you could check with the service. They did You drove straight home. Yeah, the speedometer check that too Went over the whole car as a matter of fact the whole car So you drove straight home Carl? Passed the corner of 89th and Fowler. Uh-huh. That's the usual route, isn't it? Yeah License number checks too Only one thing the Witness wasn't sure but he thought a woman was driving on our listen listen if you think mrs. Pearson was out in that car You're wrong. I ought to know it is the station man backs me up Yeah, just because some screwy witness thinks he's all right That's all I wanted to know. Oh What made you think you could get away with it, huh? Serious, you know With that record of yours you'll go up for the rest of your life in this state. What are you talking about? Man slaughter, Carl Getting run that man you ran down at 89th and foul of this afternoon died two hours ago Let that whistle be your signal for the signal oil program The whistler each Monday at nine brought to you by the signal oil company Who have asked me to remind you to get the most driving pleasure? Drive at sensible speeds be courteous and obey traffic regulations It may save a life Possibly your own Featured in tonight's story were Kathy Lewis and Gerald Moore The whistler was produced by George W. Allen with story by Joel Malone music by Wilbur Hatch and Was transmitted to our troops overseas by the armed forces radio service This is Marvin Miller speaking for the signal oil company. This is CBS the Columbia broadcasting system